LOS ANGELES, CA – January 31, 2006
“After nearly seven months of deliberation, I am pleased and honored to report that the Standards Working Group has arrived at consensus on the recommendations for the Independent Citizens’ Oversight Committee on the regulations for research funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

This is a first but remarkable step for scientifically, ethically and socially responsible stem cell research in California. A first step because the Standards Working Group will continue to deliberate over issues arising from this new and promising field. This is a remarkable step because we have a set of recommendations that incorporates thoughtful input from the public, the state legislature, the National Academies, and some of the finest minds in the scientific, ethics, and patient advocacy communities in the nation.

This draft is true to the intentions of California’s voters by reaffirming Proposition 71’s prohibition on human cloning and payment for egg donation. But it also forges new ground in the areas of informed consent, research protections, specialized scientific review, and ethical safeguards. In this sense, it serves the larger purpose of California’s desire to be a model for the scientific, ethical, and transparent pursuit of stem cell research in the country.

As co-chair of this working group, it has been one of the distinct pleasures of my career. We’ve been blessed with an extraordinary group of people and we can be proud of our work.”